Guy rope



Dec. 27, 1932. R. T. DAWES 1,892,611

GUY ROPE Filed Oct. 29, 1931 lave-moi".-

Bob 2'? 1? .3, y I r flit s.

Patented Dec. 27, '1932 I i UNITED STATES PATENTOFFICE Application filed October 29, 1931. Serial msnm.

This invention relates to an improvement Fig. 3 illustrates one way of increasing the in ropes of the kind having a loop of readily tension of the rope ;v r p I adjustable length at oneend, such ropes be- Fig. 4 lllustrates a tent provided With guy ing' especially useful as braces or guys for ropes made 1n accordance wlth my lnventlon; 5 masts, awnings, tents or the like as well as and r for slings, binding bands, or other constric- F 1g. 5 1s a fragmentary s1de GlQVELt-IOII, to tive purposes and in accordancewith this rg l W Ilg e rope as impregnated invention the rope embodies integral secur- Wlth a sfultable Pmtectlve Substanceing means by which the loop may be adjusted In g- 4 13 shown tent Secured by 6 0 to anydesired length and automatically held yp to tent Stakes h g y v in such condition. WVhen such ropes are to rope 11 13 attached the end 15 P Y be used in exposed situations, for example Of the tent iha a'free h Ch after as tent ropes or on board ship, I contemplate, 3 1; 12 6 r h t ak 13 din accordance with this invention, the im- 5 i i l 17 of h 1 y means pregnation of the rope with some suitable a a? o e h protective Substance e rope here illustrated 1s branded as As is well known, a guy rope is usually l fl m e 7 f 3 j l ngth fastened at one end to the mast, tent or the 1S provldfid Wlth alfmgttudmauy d pp like to be braced or secured in place and the s eeve portlon 20 Whlch 13 Preferably lnter .i is looped a shattered-se-trainin fixed Oblect, Whlch. 2 jg i a ends of-the guy rope andisproportioned to been h f ih V a' fi t e z receive the free end 16 to form a loop which lengt 0 e R reejen {.18 may extend about or be secured to a fixed knotted to theomam length, 1t has been foupd anchoring member such as the stake 12 In dlfiicult to prevent a certain amouill 1 order that this sleeve mayefunction as means P g to I 01 ecreas? t e enslqn for automatically gripping and retaining the of the rope as when any variance thereln free end 16 of the guy rope, as Well as to'be takes place (1116 Qhanges of heat t capable of releasing this portion when de-' :31! tu It has herewfqre b sllggested that sired-thereby to permit adjustmentof the buckles, Cleats slmllar fastenmgmealls be loop and the effective len th of the rope p y Such means are P entlrely the sleeve is preferablvin the form of a tu rellable and lncrease the cost slnce, due to bular m mb r whi h b d bfhdithe ordlnary BXPQ E 0f the p to an klnds cally disposed strands so arranged that the F535. of weather conditlons, any such means of body portion of the sleeve is capable of'elon metal must be rust-pro0fed or made'ofbronze g ti or tr t hi h l c d under (3611; or other rust-r j a e sion, as when the guy rope is drawn taut The guy rope m y g my p i between the stake 12 and its end 15. This h r, avoids the above mentloned 0 elongation of thesleeve is effective to reduce 1310118, n i y eliminates the use of l its cross-sectional area and thereby tocause l t or other supplementary faste g it to contract about that portion of the end means, is easy touse, quickly released or 8- 16 disposed therein so as to bind and to grip cured, and when the rope. i taut} 1t W111 be securely this portion of the rope. A tubular held automatically in such On i I- braid may be cited as an instance of a sleeve In the accompanyingdrawlng member having inherent characteristics as Fig. 1 illustrates the guy rope in i S n r just described. e s I mal tensed condition; Since the sleeve 20 possesses a certain Fig.2, illustrates one Way of loosening the amount of elasticity, When the length l? is 59 tension of the rope; r under tension the walls of the sleeve will 0011- tion indicated by the arrows. Fig. 3 similarly illustrates one manner of manipulating the guy rope to increase its tension'the length 17 being grasped near the end 22 of the sleeve and the free end being drawn through the sleeve in the direction indicated by the arrows.

' It will be noted that the free end 16 is automatically secured against movement in the sleeve 20 and that in order to move the free end 16 through the sleeve 20 in either direction the length 17 must be grasped adjacent the opening from which the end is to pass out of the sleeve.

As it would otherwise be possible to pull the cord too far to the right, as shown in Fig. 2, in which case the end of the cord might be removed from the sleeve, or the free end of the cord might be drawn within the free end of the sleeve far enough to be inaccessible, it is advisable to form an obstruction or abutment of some kind for limiting movement of the flexible member through the sleeve. To this end an enlargement or knot 18 may be formed in the portion 16 and to such size as to be effective to prevent movement into the sleeve.

Braided material such as here described is particularly advantageous for tent ropes, since the braided structure is neutral as respects twist, and thus does not kink or snarl easily. Moreover, such braided material of the requisite strength may readily be made from cotton yarns, and this is highly advantageous from the military standpoint, since cotton is a product of thiscountry, whereas most of the other rope fibers must be imported from foreign sources. However, in order to prevent deterioration of the rope, especially when made of cotton fiber, contemplate impregnating or coating it with some su1table protective substance. Thus, I find that aluminum acetate is a good impregnantfor combatting mold, mildew, and the depredations of insects, but for certain purposes I 7 may prefer. oily, waxy, or bituminous impregnants, rubber latex, pyroxylene or similar cellulose derivatives, phenol condensation products, orthe like, which furnish good protection against climatic conditions.

I claim:

' 1. An adjustable guy rope comprising an elongate braided cord having a flexible free end, and a sleeve integral with said elongate member and spaced from said free end, said sleeve being constructed and arranged so that said free end may be inserted longitudinally expand transversely thereby releasing the free end ofthe elongate member and permit- .ting longitudinal movement thereof through the sleeve when said tension is released,

whereby the etfective length of the guy rope and size of'said loop may be adjusted as desired."

2. -An adjustable guy rope comprising an elongate member having a flexible free end, and a stretchable and contractible tubular sleeve spaced from said free end, said free end being bent upon itself to form a loop with said free end extending longitudinally through and projecting beyond the sleeve, said projecting free end constituting means for shortening the effective length of the guy rope and size of the loop, said sleeve being capable of stretching longitudinally and of contracting transversely, thereby gripping that portion of the free end disposed therein when subjected. to longitudinal tension, said sleeve being contractible longitudinally at will to cause it to expand transversely when said longitudinal tension is released, thereby releasing said portion of the free end and permitting longitudinal movement thereof through the sleeve, whereby the eflective length 0f the guy rope and size of the loop may be adjusted as desired.

. 3. An adjustable guy rope comprising an elongate braided cotton cord impregnated with a preservative substance and having a flexible free end, a stretchable and contractible tubular sleeve integral with said cord and spaced from said free end, said sleeve being constructed and arranged so that the free end of the cord may be inserted longitudinally therethrough and project outwardly'toward the opposite end of said cord there'- by to form a loop, said sleeve being capable of stretching longitudinally and of contracting transversely about and thereby gripping that portion of the free end disposedtherein when subjected to longitudinal tension, said sleeve being retractible longitudinally at will to cause it to. expand transversely and thereby to release said portion of the free end and thus permit longitudinal movement of said free end through the sleeve to vary the efiective length of the guy rope and size of the loop, and an enlargement formed in said free end for limiting the movement thereof through the sleeve in the direction from the enlargement toward the sleeve.

4. A guy rope for tents comprising an elongate member having one end adapted to be permanently attached to a tent and also having a flexible free end, and a tubular sleeve integral with said member and spaced from said free end, said member with its sleeve consisting of braided textile strand material impregnated with a protective substance, said flexible free end being bent upon itself to form a loop with its free end extending longitudinally through and projecting outwardly beyond the sleeve, the projecting end constituting means for shortening the length of the loop, said sleeve being capable of stretching longitudinally and of contracting transversely thereby gripping that portion of the free end disposed therein when subjected to longitudinal tension, said sleeve being retractible longitudinally at will to cause it to expand transversely when said longitudinal tension is released, thereby releasing said portion of the free end and permitting longitudinal movement thereof through the sleeve, whereby the effective length of the guy rope and sizeof the loop may be adjusted as desired.

Signed by me at Boston, Massachusetts, this 27th day of October, 1931.

ROBERT T. DAWES. 

